The fastest way to clear all notifications at once

Open Notification Center by swiping down from the top of your screen. At the top right, you'll see "Clear" in gray text. Tap it, and every notification disappears. That's the quickest route if you want a clean slate.

If you don't see "Clear", swipe all the way to the top of the notification list first — sometimes it only appears when you've scrolled to the oldest notifications. On older iPhones running iOS 16 or earlier, you may need to swipe left on individual notifications and tap the trash icon instead, since the "Clear" button works differently on those versions.

Key Takeaways

  • Swipe down from the top of your screen, then tap "Clear" to remove all notifications at once on iOS 17 and newer.
  • You can clear notifications from a single app by swiping left on that app's notification group and tapping the trash icon.
  • Clearing a notification does not uninstall the app or change its settings — the app will still send new notifications unless you turn them off in Settings.
  • Notification Center keeps a history for a few days, so you can scroll back to find something you cleared if you need to.

Clear notifications from one app instead of all of them

If you only want to clear notifications from a specific app — say, email or a game — open Notification Center and find that app's notification group. Swipe left on the group with your finger. A trash icon appears on the right side. Tap it to clear just those notifications.

This is useful when one app is flooding your lock screen but you want to keep notifications from other apps visible. The app itself keeps running normally, and it will send you new notifications the next time something happens — clearing old ones doesn't change how the app behaves.

Stop notifications from coming back by turning them off in Settings

Clearing notifications is temporary. If you want an app to stop sending them altogether, you need to change its notification settings. Open the Settings app, scroll down to find the app's name, and tap it. Then tap "Notifications" and toggle the switch to off.

You can also fine-tune which notifications you see without turning them all off. In that same Notifications menu, you can choose to allow notifications only on your lock screen, or turn off sounds and badges while keeping visual alerts. Some apps let you silence notifications during certain hours — look for "Scheduled Summary" or "Focus" options in the notification settings.

Use Focus modes to silence notifications without deleting them

If you want notifications to stop appearing for a while but don't want to turn them off permanently, Focus modes are faster than changing individual app settings. Swipe up from the bottom of your screen to open Control Center, then tap and hold the Focus button (it looks like a circle with lines). Choose an existing Focus like "Do Not Disturb" or "Sleep", or create a new one.

When a Focus is on, notifications still arrive, but they don't light up your screen or make sounds. They sit in Notification Center waiting for you. When you turn the Focus off, you'll see all the notifications that came in while it was active. This is different from clearing — the notifications are still there, just hidden temporarily.

Understand what "Clear" actually does

Clearing a notification removes it from your lock screen and Notification Center, but it doesn't affect the app itself. The app doesn't know you cleared the notification. It will keep sending new ones on its normal schedule, and it will still have access to whatever permissions you granted it when you installed it.

Think of clearing as tidying your inbox, not as changing the rules about what mail gets delivered. If you want to actually stop receiving notifications, you have to go into Settings and turn them off for that app. Clearing is just removing what's already there.

Find notifications you cleared by scrolling back in Notification Center

Notification Center keeps a history of notifications for a few days, even after you clear them. If you need to find something you cleared, open Notification Center and scroll down past the current notifications. You'll see older ones listed below, organized by date. Tap any of them to open the app or see more details.

This history is limited — very old notifications eventually disappear. If you're looking for something specific, it's faster to open the app itself and check there. Most apps keep their own record of messages, emails, or alerts longer than Notification Center does.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does clearing notifications delete messages or emails?

No. Clearing a notification only removes the alert from your lock screen and Notification Center. The actual message, email, or content stays in the app. If you got an email notification and cleared it, the email is still in your inbox.

Why do I still see notifications after I cleared them?

The app is sending new notifications. Clearing removes old ones, but doesn't stop the app from sending fresh alerts. To stop them, open Settings, find the app, tap Notifications, and toggle notifications off for that app.

Can I clear notifications without opening Notification Center?

Not directly from the lock screen. You have to swipe down to open Notification Center first. Once there, you can tap "Clear" to remove all notifications at once, or swipe left on individual ones to clear them one by one.

What's the difference between clearing and muting an app?

Clearing removes notifications you've already seen. Muting (through Focus modes or notification settings) stops new notifications from arriving or alerting you. Clearing is about the past; muting is about the future.